Soft palate preservation after tumor resection with transoral laser microsurgery

Background: Management and preservation of the soft palate is dependent on clinical stage and tumor histology. However, available literature is scarce regarding the palate preservation with the use of laser CO2. Objectives: We report the results obtained after management with laser surgery and soft palate preservation in three patients with salivary gland neoplasms. Method: Three patients with minor salivary gland tumors were treated by means of transoral laser microsurgery. All tumors were assessed using magnetic resonance imaging. All tumors were >3 cm. Soft palate function was preserved and reconstruction was performed with primary closure. Patients began oral feeding the same day and were discharged after 24 h. Conclusions: Transoral laser microsurgery is recommended for treatment of soft palate tumors. This treatment can be considered a better option when compared with other modalities such as radio- or chemoradiotherapy which require a longer time of treatment, are more expensive and tend to produce significant toxicity. Key words:Laser CO2, neoplasms, salivary gland.     

Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy as a multidisciplinary treatment in head and neck cancer

The objective of this study was to evaluate the results of using the percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) in patients with head and neck cancer. Forty-six patients with head or neck cancer who required a PEG were evaluated over a 3-year period. The main indications were dysphagia and as a palliative treatment. The early perioperative and short and long term complications were assessed as well as the morbidity and mortality rate related to the procedure. In all cases, the PEG was successfully placed. Perioperative complications were observed in 6 (13%) cases, and the short and long term morbidity were seen in 4 (9%) cases. The side effects were considered as minor in all but 1 case, which required open surgery to remove the gastric tube because its bumper had become fully imbedded in the gastric wall after a 1-year period. No patient died from the procedure. PEG is an easy, quick and safe technique for the short and long term nutrition in head and neck cancer patients, who need a combined treatment of chemotherapy, surgery and/or radiotherapy and in which complications related to any of these treatment were expected. PEG should be placed routinely if enteral feeding with a gastric tube is expected to be longer than 3 weeks.     

Quality of life and functional evaluation after supracricoid partial laryngectomy with cricohyoidoepiglottopexy in Mexican patients

This study assessed the functional results in patients treated primarily through supracricoid partial laryngectomy (SCPL) with cricohyoidoepiglottopexy (CHEP). Fifteen patients with a diagnosis of epidermoid carcinoma of the glottis region admitted to the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología (México) between June 2001 and September 2002 were studied. Three patients were at stage I, five at stage II, six at stage III, and one at stage IV. Both cricoarytenoid units were preserved in 12 patients, and only one in three. Each case was assessed through the clinical grading postoperative aspiration (CGPA) scale, the performance status scale for head and neck cancer (PSS-HNC), and the Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS). Likewise, voice quality of the patients was assessed regarding tone and intensity using the SpeechViewer version 1 (IBM) and data were obtained with the Cool Edit 2000 software. Twelve patients received phoniatric rehabilitation and three were left without rehabilitation. The average time for decannulation was 12 days and 23 days for removal of the nasogastric catheter. The degree of aspiration was 0 in four patients and one in 11. According to PSS-HNC, the mean for normalcy in the diet was 95 and the mean for those eating in public was 91. Intelligibility reached an average of 90. Karnofsky's assessment was related to the disease and not to the treatment, as it remained at 100 per cent in most patients and was never below 80 per cent. The mean intensity of quality of voice was -18 dB below normal; however, the mean frequency was 243.7 Hz. SCPL and CHEP allows the preservation of the basic function of the larynx; however, a clear alteration in voice occurs after the procedure, although normal frequency is kept when both arytenoids are preserved. Likewise, preservation of both arytenoids shortens the time needed for cannula and feeding catheter removal. PSS-HNC, Karnofsky, and CGPA assessments demonstrated that patients can reach an almost normal bio-psycho-social integration. It is recommended that all patients be subjected to phoniatric rehabilitation.     

Frey syndrome. A proposal for evaluating severity

We aimed to establish the incidence of Frey's syndrome in patients that have been submitted to partial and total parotidectomy at a cancer-treating hospital in Mexico City and to propose a grading system to determine its severity. The incidence of Frey's syndrome in 77 patients (25 male and 52 female) under oncological follow-up due to parotid tumors was subjectively evaluated through clinical findings and objectively diagnosed through Minor's test. The positive hyperhydrotic areas were recorded and measured on transparent acetates. Numeric values were assigned according to clinical perception of symptomatology by the patients (0 for no perception and 1 for clinical recognition), extent of the affected area (1 if less than 2 cm; 2 if between 2.1 and 4 cm, and 3 if more than 4 cm), intensity and smell of sweat (3 if it was excessive or of unpleasant odor). Results were expressed as mild (if less than 4 points) or severe grades (if 4 or more points). Frey syndrome was objectively diagnosed in 28 patients (36%), although only 17 (22%) recognized to have clinical manifestations of this condition. There were 22 women (79%) and six men (21%). Of these, seventeen (61%) had been subjected to partial and eleven (39%) to total parotidectomy. Adjuvant radiotherapy had been employed in nine cases (32%). The cutaneous affected area in the whole group ranged from 0.7 to 29.8 cm(2) (mean 8.9 cm(2)), with a mean affected surface of 8.7+/-10.8 cm(2) for women and 9.0+/-8.8 cm(2) for men ( p > 0.05). Twelve cases were classified as mild and sixteen as severe. No significant differences were found between patients treated with partial vs. total parotidectomy or between patients treated with or without adjuvant radiotherapy. The incidence of Frey's syndrome in Mexican patients seems to be similar to those reported in other countries; however, the extent of hyperhydrosis is lower when compared to some European studies. Our proposal for evaluating this condition may be a helpful tool in assessing the incidence and severity among the diverse populations and it may be a useful tool to define more precisely the indications for treatment and to evaluate the available therapeutic methods according to the severity of the condition.     

Lip cancer experience in Mexico. An 11-year retrospective study

Lip cancer is the most frequent malignant neoplasm of the oral cavity; however, there is no information available on the incidence of this type of cancer in Mexico. This study provides information about the clinico-pathological features of lip cancer patients admitted at a cancer hospital in Mexico City during an 11-year period and describes the treatment modalities performed and their results. A total of 113 patients were studied. There were 74 men (65.5%) and 39 women (34.5%), ranging in age from 14 to 106 years (mean 70 years). In 53 cases (46.9%) an association was found between the disease and chronic sun exposure. Additionally, positive smoking antecedents were recorded in 58 cases (51.3%). As 15 patients were followed for less than 1 month, they were excluded for further analysis. There were 82 cases (83.7%) of squamous cell carcinoma, 10 (10.2%) basal cell carcinomas, and one case (1%) each of adenocarcinoma NOS, melanoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, lymphoepithelioma and angiosarcoma. We observed an incidence of malignant neoplasms in the upper lip of 33.7%, which is higher than most of the published series and may be due to the fact that in this series we included all histological types of lip cancers. Fifty percent of the cases were found in stages III and IV. Cervical lymph node metastases were found in 21% of patients with no previous treatment, and they developed in 5.3% after treatment. Our data suggest that tumoral size is directly related to the possibility of developing node metastases, as none of them occurred in patients T1, whereas 10 (62.5%) of the patients in T4 presented them. Seven deaths were documented (7.1%), five of which corresponded to squamous cell carcinoma, one to Merkel cell carcinoma, and one to adenocarcinoma. Deaths were directly related to the disease in six cases, and one patient died due to surgical complications. Distant metastases were found in only two patients, one of which coursed with an adenocarcinoma and the other with a Merkel cell carcinoma. Based on the present results, we suggest that the differences encountered with respect to other series, particularly the higher incidence found in women, the frequent presentation of this type of neoplasms in the upper lip, the wide variety of histopathological diagnoses and the high frequency of cases with cervical lymph node affection, should lead us to search for multi-modal treatment alternatives in this population.